


a fate worse than death to some

by roastedsunflowerseeds



Series: ranboo-centric fics [2]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, I will tag it until it's real, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: "enderchild angst featuring the homeless teletubby" -my friend, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Fix-It of Sorts, I have school fools, Manipulation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ranboo Has a Tail (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Slow To Update, Spectator Mode, Takes place slightly before and during Tommy's exile, They'll be added as more chapters come out, Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), some things are fixed, some things are made worse :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29077596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roastedsunflowerseeds/pseuds/roastedsunflowerseeds
Summary: As an enderman hybrid, Ranboo always feels an urge to go to the end. However, Dream doesn’t respond well to rule-breakers.orRanboo is forcefully put into spectator mode.---+ this is about their rp characters, not the actual people. if the ccs are uncomfortable with these kind of fics i'll take it down.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: ranboo-centric fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2158977
Comments: 25
Kudos: 342





	1. Instincts

**Author's Note:**

> hihihi first multi-chapter dream smp fic!  
> i have a vague outline for this and i'll make a sequel aswell  
> tw // some manipulation i guess (dream isn't cool)  
> hope you enjoy!

Ranboo has always felt an urge to return to the End.

If he’s ever been there before, he didn’t know. His past was just a vague blur, just barely out of reach from his slipping memory. However, he was used to this and was just as used to the connection to the End he felt. Whenever he asked the others about the End, they just gave him strange looks and asked what he meant. The prodding about the Ender Dragon and elytra and end cities fell on deaf ears, and it didn’t seem like they were going to listen.

Ranboo could teleport to the End, however, his stomach turned with anxiety at the thought of using his enderman powers at all. The first thing Dream had told him was that he needed to hide his hybrid traits, or at least repress them, because the people in Dream SMP didn’t have much tolerance for hostile hybrids, although they wouldn’t take any particularly violent measures. Ranboo made sure to write this down, he hadn’t had a very stable place to stay before and he didn’t want to ruin his chance. 

( _They at least wouldn’t take any violent measures… unlike other servers.)_

However, he couldn’t exactly hide his hybrid traits, it was very obvious he was a hybrid, so instead, he chose to repress his hybrid habits and pray they’d be okay with him as long as he didn’t appear as a threat. _They seemed relatively friendly,_ Ranboo had written down, _however, I don’t think I should tell them about my memory problems._

‘They’re quick to take advantage of you,’ Dream had said. ‘Hide all your weaknesses, it’s the best way to survive here. Don’t get attached, because they don’t care,’ he had said. Which sounded terrifying and lonely, but Ranboo wouldn’t complain about the chance to stay in a proper, white-listed server. Despite the warning, Ranboo couldn’t stop himself from already liking the server despite what Dream had said, although he knew the feeling wasn’t mutual in any sense.

The urge to return the End just came back stronger than ever, he’d occasionally visit before and it was comforting, to be around people (other players would argue “mobs”) somewhat like him. It didn’t help that he had to keep suppressing his old habits (don’t teleport, don’t speak in galactic, don’t do that weird block thing) which only made him want to return to his home (home?) more and more.

But Ranboo couldn’t stop reminding himself of what Dream had said, ‘Hide all your weaknesses, it’s the best way to survive here.’ He wasn’t a very paranoid person, although he wouldn’t call himself an open book or a social butterfly, and it was very hard to adjust, but he trusted Dream. (Part of him realized that was a contradiction to what Dream said, but Dream was kind enough to provide him with a server and even warn him beforehand, so Ranboo trusted him.)

 _If no one catches me teleporting, I should be fine_ , Ranboo reassured himself. He hadn’t actually seen a stronghold anywhere, which was weird but more concerning because it meant he had to teleport to the End, which was a whole different dimension. He’s seen other endermen do it all the time, though. (Hopefully only being half didn’t affect his powers too much.)

 _If anyone catches me I can just... Teleport away, right?_ Ranboo chuckled lightly at his own joke in an attempt to loosen the knots in his stomach that was telling him this was a _bad, bad, bad idea_.

It was a blink and you’d miss it moment. He just teleported in and out. It was a relatively short trip, only about 20 minutes.

However, it seemed like someone had noticed.

Ranboo had teleported back to be greeted by a white, smiling mask, eerie in its constant happiness. Despite Dream’s happy attire, Ranboo couldn’t help slowly step back in mild fear, he seemed almost _angry_ , although that might’ve been Ranboo’s nerves, he wasn’t sure. 

“Ranboo,” Dream started, voice scarily calm, “did you go to the End?” It was calm but seemed to subtly shake with anger as if trying to keep it under control. Ranboo’s words came out a jumbled mess as his anxiety slowly rose, starting to panic. 

“I- I did, because I’m- y’know- the- half- I’m a hybrid, so I- I had to-”

“Oh, Ranboo..” Dream sounded almost like he was pitying Ranboo, which wasn’t helping the situation at all. “You know that’s against the rules, right?” He asked gently, to which Ranboo’s panic only spiked.

“No I- I’m sorry I didn’t- no one else seemed to-”

“Do you know what happens to rule-breakers, Ranboo?”

His voice was low and threatening and Ranboo’s mind was already running wild and panicking. _He’s gonna ban me he’s gonna ban me_ **_he’s gonna ban me and I won’t have anywhere to go and I won’t be safe_ **

“Don’t ban me, please- I- I don’t have anywhere- they’re going to _hunt me_ I can’t-” Ranboo practically begged, voice breaking.

Dream seemed sympathetic ( _but it was a lie_ , part of Ranboo’s mind screamed,) voice sickeningly sweet yet it only made him more panicked.

“Don’t worry, Ranboo.”  
  
“I’ll do much worse than that.”

And with the snap of Dream's fingers, it felt like Ranboo was dying, like his soul was being ripped out of his body. And then he realized he wasn’t touching the ground, he wasn’t _there_ , he was _there_ but he _wasn’t_ , he didn’t have a shadow, and Dream was no longer looking at him.  
  
“I hope you’ll learn your lesson.”


	2. completely, 100% fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things finally set in as things fall apart.
> 
> or: ranboo angsts for 1k words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry i forgot to mention this takes place pre-exile HIJSOIDHJO  
> sorry this took so long and the quality isn’t the best, was struggling with this chapter + had some irl things happening  
> hope you enjoy!  
> tw // very brief reference to self harm (specifically hitting yourself)

The fire slowly burned.

Ranboo didn’t know what Dream had done to him.

He could float and couldn’t touch  _ anything _ , couldn’t do  _ anything _ . It was terrifying. It felt like if he just let himself go he would just fall forever, falling through the ground and eventually into the void where he would stay for the rest of his life. The thought alone made his throat dry and heart pound at a million miles an hour.

The only thing Ranboo could do was mindlessly wander, aimlessly looking for something to do. It seemed like no one could see him unless they were just ignoring him for no reason, which to be honest he couldn’t completely put out of the realm of possibility. Although, usually people paid too much attention to him due to his hybrid status.

And despite his current problem, the fire still burned, and Ranboo still watched as George’s house went up in flames and Tommy frantically put it out and continued, occasionally making netherite structures and putting  _ that _ on fire. At some point, Ranboo had started trying to fan out the flames with his hands, but it did nothing, which was.. expected, but he couldn’t help trying. 

He also couldn’t help mentioning how stupid this was, but it’s not like Tommy could hear him and would stop. Which, to be honest, was  _ incredibly  _ pathetic in Ranboo’s opinion, but never mind that. There were more important things to think about, like the fact he was practically a ghost (at least people could  _ see _ and  _ talk _ to Ghostbur and he could actually  _ do things, _ ) although he’d gotten slightly distracted.

Ranboo pushed the whole debacle to the back of his mind.  _ It probably won’t be important. This seems somewhat normal here, I’m sure it’ll be fine.  _ He thought reassuringly to himself, ignoring the setting in anxiety and instead choosing to be annoyed at himself for forgetting the much more pressing issue. 

Ranboo scoured his memory for exactly what had happened, and although it was fuzzy, he could somewhat recall it, involuntarily shivering.  _ How did Dream have so much power? _ Ranboo silently asked himself before he remembered the fact he was an admin, which had a whole lot of bad connotations he didn’t think about often.

He moved away from the destruction and started to try and organize his thoughts, muttering.    
  
“Okay, so, I can’t do anything. Nobody can see or hear me and I don’t have any impact on the world. This happened because I went to the end, so- Dream did this.” Ranboo put his head in his hands, groaning. “I should’ve never  _ went  _ to the End, that was stupid, there’s a reason nobody else knows.” He scolded himself with a huff.

“He’s got to make me normal later, right-? It’s not like this is permanent.” He reassured himself uselessly, well aware he didn’t believe his own words.    
  
“Yeah, he can’t keep me like this forever, I-I mean he’s the one who- invited me, so…” Ranboo’s voice drifted, his thoughts chanting ‘ _ You messed up, you messed up, you messed up, you messed up _ ’ endlessly and making his head spin.

“Dammit, Ranboo, can’t you stay in a single server without messing everything up?” He practically yelled at himself, running his hands through his hair stressful. ( _ He suddenly realized he didn’t have his crown anymore. _ ) He whimpered, the situation finally fully setting in.

Ranboo knitted his hands together to keep himself from hitting himself like he knew he would, tail flicking anxiously. He rubbed his eyes and huffed, annoyed he had almost broken down like that. Now was not the time. Right now he needed to figure out how to get out of this situation.

_ If he even could at all. _

“Okay, okay. So he-” Ranboo paled as he muttered faster under his breath, “He just snapped his fingers, he- he couldn’t even see me once he was done, can I not- I’m just- I’m just at his mercy, he could never-” He paused from his rambling, shaking his head and scolding himself. “Stop. Stop spiraling. You’re not going to get anywhere like that, you’re not gonna get anything done, just  _ think. _ ”

Ranboo nervously wrung his hands together, closing his eyes for a brief moment and letting out a shaky sigh. “Maybe don’t focus on that right now.” He mumbled to himself, then starting to walk (float?) around as he searched for some kind of distraction to busy himself. “We are fine, we’re perfectly fine, we’re just going to-  _ why am I speaking like it’s not just me-  _ We’re just going to.. watch.. everyone.. I guess? It’s fine, perfectly fine as a matter of fact.”

“We’re fine, we’re  _ perfectly  _ fine.”

-

“This is not fine.” 

Watching everything go down was glorious in some horrible sense, watching it slowly build up in complete silence. Watching the trial, the briefest moment of triumph all for it to crash down wonderfully into an ugly gray area. And of course, Dream and Tommy are at the center, and all that rings through his head is  _ Dream is the reason _ .

It felt almost intrusive to watch, it felt like he was intruding on something private he was never meant to see. He barely knew these people, understanding everything happening and hadn’t made the best impression on anyone at all. Ranboo supposed that if it had to be anyone in the server to be in his current state, it was best for it to be Ranboo.

Because it’s not like anyone would miss him. It’s not like anyone cared enough, it’s not like anyone would even notice. Those thoughts were ugly and jagged and hard to think about it, but it was the truth. 

And that’s all he thought about as he slowly followed Tommy as he was exiled. (He swore he saw Ghostbur look at him but he wasn’t sure, he didn’t even seem to process the situation. Was he melting in the rain?) There wasn’t anything to write down his thoughts into or anyone to talk to or vent to for advice, not when he was just an observer who couldn’t even sit down or pick up a flower. The rain just passed through him in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable way. Sure, it didn’t  _ burn  _ but he would’ve preferred the burning to this.

“Blowing everything was a bit uncalled for,” Ranboo muttered, rubbing his eyes. 

“I was helping..” Ghostbur pouted. Ranboo froze for a moment and stared at the spirit, who was (unnervingly) making unflinching eye contact. (It was so much worse with Ghostbur, why were his eyes  _ pitch black _ ? It was like staring into the void.) 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ghostbur asked curiously, tilting his head.    
  
“Who the fuck are you talking to?” Tommy asked, briefly distracted. Dream was unreadable (as usual) but was silent, seemingly curious. 

Ghostbur blinked, gesturing towards Ranboo and asking,

“Can’t you see Ranboo?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ranboo only has three moods  
> mental breakdown  
> grass block  
> and crippling denial
> 
> also: I drew my design for ranboo in spectator mode [here](https://roasted-sunflower-seeds.tumblr.com/post/642869204283949056/i-drew-ranboos-design-in-one-of-my-fics-this-so)


	3. a little bit of help, but not for ranboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo helps someone, and some of the effects of Spectator Mode show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw // some manipulation, dehydration and starvation  
> Not sure how to feel about this chapter to be honest- quality sorta dropped but I hope you enjoy :D  
> Sorry for the timeskip in the middle! also sorry if I wrote Tommy ooc-

“The fuck do you mean, Ghostbur?” Tommy asked, blunt and clearly confused. 

“The new one? Hybrid? He’s right here, can’t you see him?” Ghostbur asked, eyes wide and innocent. “He’s being all floaty and glitchy too.” 

Ranboo’s tail flicked nervously. He.. he was glitching, a little. Mostly at his legs. He hadn’t noticed. It didn’t hurt. “Can you tell Dream I’m sorry?” Ranboo asked softly, glancing down at the ground. Ghostbur seemed confused but just nodded.

“Er- Ranboo says he’s sorry, Dream! I don’t know why he won’t just tell it to you himself or why he’s sorry.” The spirit said, Dream as impassive as usual, then adding, in a soft, silky voice, “What are you talking about, Ghostbur? Didn’t you hear? He left a few days ago, that’s why you haven’t seen him around. I guess he didn’t like this server very much.”

“He did?” Tommy spoke up. “That sounds like bullshit.”

“I didn’t- Dream please- stop lying, please, I’m _sorry_ -” Ranboo panicked, glitching out more in a small panic. Ghostbur glanced between Ranboo and Dream, concern etched into his face as he looked through his satchel and pulled out a lump of something. (Blue, was it called?)

“Oh dear.. Calm yourself, have some blue.” Ghostbur attempted to hand Ranboo the blue, but it just fell through. Ghostbur frowned. “He’s right here, though, are you sure?” He asked Dream, who nodded and just moved closer like he was examining Ghostbur.

“I’m pretty sure, Ghostbur. Are you sick? Can ghosts get sick? You might want to take a walk.” Dream suggested sympathetically ( _Lying, he’s lying, he’s_ ** _lying_ ** _-)_ to which Ghostbur just slowly nodded.

“I don’t know if ghosts can get sick..” Ghostbur murmured, staring at his translucent form, then slowly brightening. “But oh-kay!” 

Now that they were a distance away, Ghostbur stopped and turned to Ranboo, still melting. “What happened?” He asked, tilting his head. “You’re all glitchy and floaty- I can see through you, you’re like a ghost.. But you just joined, you can’t have lost all your canon lives yet..” 

Ranboo sighed. “I- well- Dream. I went to the End- so- so he did this.” He gestured towards himself, glitching out a bit. Ghostbur frowned. 

“How does this work? Can nobody else talk to you or see you? Can you not touch anything?” The spirit asked. Ranboo nodded slowly, tail flicking nervously, unnerved by his constant eye contact. Some things never changed.

“You should- you should go back to Dream. I’m- I’m real, okay? Don’t forget that.” Ranboo gently reminded the ghost, who just nodded and started drifting back. “O-okay. I’ll see you later, Ranboo.”

* * *

“Ghostbur. Ghostbur, please. Listen to me. Get Tommy away from Dream.”   
  
Ghostbur curiously looked up at Ranboo, confused. “Why?”

Ranboo shook his head. “Just- trust me on this, okay? He’s not- he’s not good. It’s not too late.” He refused to just sit idly by without doing anything. And although Ghostbur was naive and forgetful, Ranboo knew he would listen to him.

“But where would Tommy go?” Ghostbur asked. Ranboo flicked his tail nervously. “Uh- We’ll figure that out later, just... Get him away from Dream. It’s not safe, Dream’s just hurting him.”

Ghostbur hesitated for a moment, eyes darkening as he nodded and drifted off to talk to Tommy. Ranboo wasn’t exactly sure why, but the way Dream talked to Tommy made his stomach twist and turn. It wasn’t _right_. People cared about Tommy, yet Dream was trying to convince him otherwise. It was almost _familiar_ , in some horrible way, but Ranboo didn’t need to think about that. 

Ranboo snapped out of his thoughts and drifted over to Tommy and Ghostbur, who were arguing. 

“-the fuck are you talking about, Ghostbur? This is where I live, why would I need to leave?” Tommy snapped, glaring suspiciously at Ghostbur.

“Trust me, Tommy, it’s not safe with Dream,” Ghostbur said, tone more serious than what Ranboo was used to from the echo-y spirit. Tommy hesitated, clearly thrown off. Ranboo anxiously ran his hands through his hair, glitching violently.

“Just say, ‘Think about it: Dream has just been destroying all of your things for no reason. I mean, he threatened to kill you multiple times.’” Ranboo encouraged Ghostbur, who repeated after him in the same serious tone. It was strange hearing him talk that way, but it was a relief.

Tommy hesitated again for a moment before nodding. “..Yeah. I don’t need that green bitch! We’re gonna start a coup!” He yelled cheerfully, following Ghostbur away from Logstedshire.

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘rebellion.’ A coup is for governments specifically,” Ghostbur said innocently- teasingly? His tone was hard to read sometimes. 

“You and your fancy words!”

Ranboo let out a sigh of relief, listening to them banter in the background. Tommy somewhat knew how to build a house, right?  
  
Now wasn’t the time. Ranboo was exhausted. He wasn’t sure if he could really sleep in his weird state. When was the last time he’d slept, anyway? Or eaten? He had constant hunger pangs and God, he was so thirsty. He’d morbidly wondered before if he could die in this state, but it’d been a few weeks and it seemed Ranboo was just cursed to dizzily float around until Dream decided to take mercy on him.

Nothing was really keeping him grounded, he couldn’t touch anything for crying out loud. There was the plus of the faintness and dizziness that followed him everywhere he seemed to go, which combined made it incredibly easy to zone out for a few minutes to an hour.

Ranboo should be dead, logically, his body couldn’t survive like this at all. But some sort of magic was keeping him alive by a thread.   
  
However, he wouldn’t let himself wallow in his own self-pity. It served no one good, it just drained his energy more. 

Ranboo would just try to help who he could and ignore the fact he couldn’t help himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hints at ranboos angsty backstory* Oh? What's this? I'm just making an innocent fix-it! No angst here :))

**Author's Note:**

> :))  
> some things to note:  
> -the other members don't actually harbor any ill will to hostile hybrids, dream was lying. outside of the dream smp, however? it's best left unsaid  
> -admins have "admin magic"
> 
> sorry this is pretty short, see you in the next chapter!


End file.
